Niccolò Accardi, Musician, Songwriter and Performer has been involved in music for over 15 years. From his humble beginnings when he picked out his first acoustic guitar in a Pawn Shop to his present-day self, writing songs and collaborating with other indie artists, has now taken his talent into the launch of a new album that he's currently working on, Niccolò walks MITL MAG's own Dave Veilman through his humble beginnings that ends with great advice for other musicians who are just starting out.

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Let's go ahead and jump into the formalities. Where did you grow up? Did you grow up in a family full of musically talented individuals?

I grew up with very humble beginnings on the small countryside in a little Italian village. My dad was an engineer and he eventually got a job in the states; which led to us moving to Nashville Tennessee when I was 7 years old. I wouldn't say I grew up in a family full of musically talented individuals but I was exposed to a lot of music at a young age, be it from my mom, radio, TV broadcast, and my next door neighbors who played records constantly.

My mom is a beautiful singer. She would always sing around the house and sometimes we would pretend that we were performing at a concert. She would have me join in with her and I would sing along and play my imaginary air acoustic guitar. My dad would pretend to be in the audience cheering us both on. Those were some fun times.

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As a child, did you dream of becoming a Musician? How did you end up as a Guitarist?

Yes, definitely. Performing with my mom was so fun and I thought to myself, this is something that I want to do everyday.

I told my dad that I was ready to move beyond my imaginary air acoustic guitar and graduate to the real thing. My dad decided to take me to the pawn shop to purchase me my first acoustic guitar. I was so thankful because that's when things really took off for me.

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“The guitar leads me and I just follow it. So far, it hasn't disappointed me. I just go with the flow.” ~ Niccolò Accardi

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What would you regard as the most rewarding part of being a Musician; in particular a Guitarist?

I think that variety is definitely a spice of life, so for me, the constant day-to-day variety as a musician is rewarding. It's hard to be bored when you've got so many different things to do.

I have picked up so many universal life skills being a guitarist. Aside from the cognitive benefits of playing the guitar, making a living as a musician has taught me all kinds of communication and business business skills (that I could even use later in life If I ever wanted to try my hand in another industry). But, let's be honest, music is my life. I don't see myself ever leaving music for good.
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What would you regard as the most challenging part of being a Musician?

One challenge that I faced early on in my career was finding and building the right team. Finding a team of reliable music professionals is so imperative. Luckily, I eventually found the right people and we have been working together ever since.

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Do you have a favorite project that you have worked on? If so, tell us why.

I would have to say that my very first single: "La Bella Rosa." is still my favorite project. I was written about my first love and the reason it is still my favorite is because it was the first song that really required me to push my writing skills and ability. I was so young then, and I remember the only thing that was initially coming to my mind was, "I love this girl, I love this girl so much." hahaha I had to figure out a way to say that but differently with a poetic twist. So even though that was an extremely long time ago, I don't know where she is in the world today but I would still like to thank my first love.

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For this next question, I know that I have my favorites but, in your opinion, name the top 3 Musicians working in the industry today. Piggy-backing on this, what do you like specifically about each one of them?

Currently, my top 3 would be; Yasmin Willams ( The woman is so talented. I really enjoy her unique flair), Drake (In 3 words I can tell you what I like about him specifically - Certified Lover Boy. It's one of my favorites albums.), and last but certainly not least is Ed Sheeran (Everything he writes is a hit.)

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Speaking from experience, I know there are plenty of obstacles and challenges I have faced throughout my professional career. Has it always been a smooth road for you? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way that you faced?

I am a family oriented person, so one obstacle I faced early in my career was being on the road away from family. It was a significant challenge for me. I would get so sad and feel down because I am extremely close with my family. In order to overcome this I had to strike a balance between my art, the recognition it receives and a happy home life.

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Is there any advice you’d like to share with other musicians who might just be starting out?

You can do anything that you set your mind to accomplish. Don’t wait for someone to get it done for you. You might be waiting forever on something that will never come. Always aim to deliver high quality art. It should never look or feel "budgeted". If you don’t have the money for high priced producers, mixing engineers, graphic designers, etc, then figure out how to do it yourself. If you want your mix to sound amazing, then start investing your time. Study, practice, repeat! If you can't afford a professional photoshoot then shoot it yourself. We all have access to so many tools today. There is so much information available now on how to do just about anything. Thanks to Youtube, the access to knowledge is unlimited. Get out there and make it happen.